When Taiko Master (aka Taiko no Tatsujin) came to my desk I was actually at a bit of a loss at what to do. It’s basically a game that hasn’t really changed or innovated itself over the years, and because of that there’s hardly anything to review. It’s not something like Sega’s Project Diva, which improves its MTVs, 3D models, expands on costume choices and cast, as well as create other customization and lifestyle features. It’s more like Just Dance which simply expands its song library and choreographed beat maps to match. But to be honest, I still think people should at least try playing this game. So instead of giving it the review treatment which will be inevitably short, here’s a quick rundown of why you should give this game a whirl.

1. It looks pretty simple to play

If you’ve seen the layout of Taiko Master, it’s a lot easier to decipher than most rhythm games. Generally there’s only 4 kinds of input to do. And as soon as you get a hang of which notes correspond to which action, you’ll soon find that normal mode is an insult to your newly found taiko skills. And you decide to challenge the next difficulty, and that’s when the game takes you for a ride because…

2. It’s a lot harder than it lets on

I’ve played a lot of rhythm games from Japan especially with so many of them coming to mobile. So yes, I dared to play this on the harder modes because I thought I had know how and experience of how Japanese rhythm games work. Taiko Master responded that I didn’t. Of all the rhythm games I’ve played, this one probably has the strictest timing with notes. You can’t be more than a fraction of a second early or late or you won’t hit the perfect note. Also as this is a drumming game a single mis-timed swing (or button press) is more than likely to throw you off for an entire measure. While the game won’t kick you out of the song for playing badly, it’s certain to bother those who take pride in their rhythm skills.

3. It updates pretty easily

Since Taiko Master doesn’t really change how it works the people behind it have become very effective at making updates on the game quite quickly. Songs that are popular today may make it in there within a year’s time. They even take songs that get popular on Japanese media sites like Nico Nico Douga or popular anime.

4. It can get pretty zany with the drum

I didn’t imagine that Taiko Master could be a pretty fun party game. But maybe with enough alcohol and friends even you may find the guts to buy the peripheral drum and start partying like this fine fellow below.